Basic Attentional Processes and Selective, Divided, and Sustained attention lectures

These flashcards cover the fundamental concepts of basic attentional processes, including their types, mechanisms, and related theories.

What does orienting in attentional processes refer to?

Stimulus selection and focusing attention on a specific location.

What is the alerting process in basic attentional processes?

Preparing for an upcoming stimulus.

Define executive focus in attentional processes.

Focusing on a specific stimulus and responding accordingly.

What is the attentional blink?

A brief period where another stimulus can't be detected after a stimulus is recognized.

What is inattentional blindness?

Failing to notice a stimulus while focusing on another task.

What type of stimuli do participants often miss due to inattentional blindness?

A tan square shown while they are focusing on a cross.

What can visual search tasks reveal?

The differences between automatic and controlled attentional processes.

What are the two stages described in the Feature-Integration Theory?

Pre-attentive stage and attention stage.

What occurs during the pre-attentive stage?

Basic features of a visual scene are processed automatically and in parallel.

Explain the attention stage in the Feature-Integration Theory.

Visual information is integrated and we focus on whole objects.

What is meant by selective attention?

Paying attention to one specific thing among others.

What is divided attention?

Paying attention to multiple things at once.

What is sustained attention?

Maintaining focus on a task over an extended period.

Give an example of an experiment that demonstrates the effects of divided attention.

Driving while talking on a hands-free phone versus talking with a passenger.

What does the Bottleneck Theory explain?

Where attention is limited and can cause delays in processing information.

What is a spatial cuing task?

A task where participants respond to a target that appears after an arrow indicates a side.

What are valid and invalid trials in a spatial cuing task?

Valid trials are when the target appears where the arrow points; invalid trials are when it appears on the opposite side.

What does neglect syndrome affect?

The ability to respond or perceive stimuli from one side of space.

Where is neglect syndrome typically associated?

Damage to the right side of the brain.

In neglect syndrome, what happens when participants are asked to identify targets?

They often fail to detect targets presented on the neglected side.

What experimental condition demonstrates neglect syndrome?

Participants respond more slowly to targets in a circle on their neglected side.

When might attention shift occur in selective attention tasks?

When the target appears on a different side than indicated by a cue.

What characterizes sustained attention?

Maintaining focus over time, especially in repetitive tasks.

Describe the performance pattern for sustained attention.

Performance tends to decline over time with possible shifts in focus.

What are dual-task experiments used for?

To investigate how divided attention impacts performance.

What is the primary challenge in divided attention as per Bottleneck Theory?

Balancing meaningful processing between multiple streams of information.

What does sustained attention require from participants?

Responding to rare, unpredictable signals over time.

What results were found when drivers talked on a cell phone compared to talking to a passenger?

Greater impairment in driving performance when using a cell phone.

What is a common task used in assessing divided attention?

Driving simulations that require multitasking.

What does it mean to have 'in the zone' during sustained attention tasks?

High accuracy in task performance.

What is a common experience when engaging in sustained attention?

Fluctuating between high (in the zone) and low (out of the zone) accuracy.

What is the focus of the spatial cuing task in attention studies?

Investigating how cueing can facilitate target detection.

How does visual search relate to attentional processes?

It examines how features are processed automatically or controlled.

What experiment illustrates the concept of executive focus?

Pressing buttons in response to specific stimuli while ignoring others.

What is often the outcome of visual search when features are congruent?

It can lead to difficulties in identifying the target among distractors.

What critical takeaway is associated with attentional processes?

That selection, preparation, and focus are vital for effective attention management.

How does visual attention change over time in sustained tasks?

It can fluctuate, requiring reengagement strategies to maintain focus.

What does the term 'feature-integration' refer to?

The process of combining different features of a stimulus into a coherent whole.

What is the SART?

Sustained Attention to Response Task, which measures sustained attention by presenting a sequence of stimuli and requiring responses only to specific targets.